3 Powerful Ways to Overcome Fear and Realize Your Dreams

My college degree has nothing to do with Photography, I’ve never won any photography awards, and the photography community generally had no idea who I am.

However…

I’ve successfully taught thousands of people photography for the the last 6 years. In fact, many of them have gone on to become extremely talented professional photographers.

How did this happen?

Why in the world did I think it was okay to write a book about photography and then go on to teach workshops and online videos?

Believe me, I’ve asked myself that question hundreds of times.

And here is the answer I always get…

Because I wanted to.
Because I felt called to do it in my heart.
And because I was willing to put in the work to succeed.

Don’t ever let anyone (or yourself!) talk you out of pursuing a goal just because you think you may not be qualified or because you haven’t gotten the “okay” you needed from someone you respect.

After I had the idea to write my first photography book it took me 8 months before I ever wrote a word. Why? Because I talked myself out of it over and over again.

Who are you to write a book?
You’ve never written a book before.
No one you know has written a book.
You’re not the best photographer.
Why should people listen to you?

All lies.

The truth is, if I feel drawn to create, to do something that makes my spirit soar, I don’t need permission.

Joel Osteen told a story about how his father came from very meager circumstances. His family worked their fingers to the bone yet still had almost no money.

No one in his family accomplished much in life. But when his father was 17 years old, he had a dream in his heart to become a preacher. He wanted to inspire congregations and bring them closer to God.

When he told family and friends about this goal they all laughed and said he would never succeed. They reminded him…

He didn’t know anyone who was a preacher.
He hardly attended church growing up.
Who was he to think he could ever be a preacher, let alone a successful one?

But still, he gave it a shot.

In his first sermon he preached about Samson in the Bible. It was sincere and heartfelt. But, unbeknownst to him, throughout the entire sermon he called Samson “Tarzan”!

He could have let that humiliate him, destroy him. But he didn’t.

He went on to become a very successful preacher and his son, Joel Osteen, became an even bigger success. Together they’ve inspired millions of people across the world.

All because his dad took a chance on himself and did what everyone else thought was impossible. He dramatically changed the future for not only himself but for his children and now grandchildren.

Don’t let self-doubt or the doubts of others effect you.

I’d like to say my journey of writing a photography book and teaching people how to use their cameras was an easy ride but like most things, it wasn’t. I had to overcome my own negative mind chatter almost daily, along with handle critics and even a couple full-blown bullies.

But even with all of that, I’ve never regretted my decision to make my dream a reality. It’s been the means to teach me valuable life lessons as well as give our family experiences we would have never been able to achieve otherwise.

Hold on to your dreams. Don’t let them go. Choose them again and again.

Because one day, they won’t be dreams, they will be your reality.

Are you ready to pursue your goals?! Before you begin you will want some tools to help you overcome any fears that may pop up and throw you off track. …ANd putting yourself out there is one of the biggest ones!

3 Powerful Ways to Overcome Fear and Realize Your Dreams

1| Recognize That Fear Will Never Completely Go Away

As long as you are progressing in life, fear will always be present.

So that means you can’t wait it out before you begin. Don’t think you will start once the fear is finally gone because you will never start.

The truth is, you will accomplish your goals in spite of their fears. You have to push past them and jump.

One of my favorite books, Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway by Susan Jeffers, states “The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out and do it.”

Know this…Once you jump the first time, your confidence will begin to grow by leaps and bounds and your fears will begin to dissipate. It may not leave you entirely but it will continually get less and less.

So start! Take the first step no matter what it might be. If you want to write a book, begin now writing your outline. If you want to sell cookies, make your first batch and give them out as samples. If you want to be a travel blogger, write your first post.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. I repeat, it doesn’t have to be perfect to start.

You don’t have to know exactly how it will all play out. Just start. Your fear will begin to fade and your next step will appear when you need it.

Action Step:
Write down 1 thing you can do TODAY to work toward your goal…and DO IT. Commit to it.

*Send me an email as soon as you do this step so you can be held accountable. [email protected]

2| Write Out Your Fears in a Journal

Get it all out. Write until your hand hurts. Spell out everything you fear will happen if you choose to work toward your goal(s).

This will do a couple of things… first you may actually convince yourself that you should never do it. Just kidding! That won’t happen. What it will do is convince you that you have been creating things to be way worse in your head than it really is.

Our minds have a way of “protecting us”. Making us stay in our comfort zone because we know we are safe in that zone. When we do anything different or out of our norm, our mind send off a signal alerting us that we might die, be embarrassed, disappoint a loved one, lose a bunch of money…any fear that will make you stop in your tracks, turn around and not proceed.

Action Step:
Susan Jeffers points out that most people’s biggest fear is that if you do “X” we won’t be loved any more. So she came up with these 3 affirmations:

I did this when I started writing my first book and it helped me tremendously. I still use this series of affirmations if I find fear creeping in.

*Send me an email as soon as you do this step so you can be held accountable. [email protected]

3| Figure out your “WHY”

Why do you want to accomplish this goal? What’s in it for you? Freedom? More money? The opportunity to make a difference in your community? The chance to do something you really love?

What is your why?

Once you can really pin point why you want to accomplish your goal, that can be just the momentum you need to push past the fear and go for it.

As you have a clear reason your focus will become laser sharp. Think of what happens when you focus the sun’s energy through a magnifying glass. That focused light becomes powerful. So powerful, in fact, that it can even be used to start a fire.

That’s what it will do in you, why you discover your why it will start a fire in your soul driving you to take the action steps needed to succeed.

“It’s one of life’s greatest joys to wake up in the morning…every morning, with a clear sense of why that day matters, why every day matters.” –Simon Sinek

Welcome to Being Katie Brave! I’m so happy to have you here. If you’re looking to take better pictures (stress-free!), get the inside scoop on all things Disney World, or be inspired to live YOUR best life (even if especially if it scares you to death) …you’re in the right place. I ’ve written 3 photography books, our family lived at Disney World for 2 years, and wear my heart on my sleeve…all of which would never have come to pass if I didn’t push past my fears and step in the darkness. Join me as I share my adventure of life, one post at a time.

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Welcome to Being Katie Brave! I’m so happy to have you here. If you’re looking to take better pictures (stress-free!), get the inside scoop on all things Disney World, or be inspired to live YOUR best life (especially if it scares you to death) …you’re in the right place. I’ve written 3 photography books, our family lived at Disney World for 2 years, and I wear my heart on my sleeve…all of which never would've come to pass if I didn’t push past my fears and step in the darkness. Join me as I share my adventure of life, one post at a time.